"Danny, can you stop being gross for five seconds?" Jazz's nagging comment made Danny freeze for a split second, his forkful of salad just inches away from his lips.
"I'm literally just eating," he stated before thrusting his food into his mouth.
"Yeah, but you eat like a Neanderthal," she said, causing him to roll his eyes.
"Thanks. Can we get back on track now?"
"Right. I was just saying I'm already halfway done with this semester. I'll be back before you know it; just a few days before Christmas." He rolled his eyes at the mentioned holiday, resisting the urge to scoff.
"Just in time for the worst holiday of the year."
"It won't be so bad when I'm there with you. We'll make it fun," Jazz told him with a smile, always trying to see the positive side of things, but Danny only shrugged.
"Yeah, maybe." They were interrupted by a knock on the door, and Maddie peaked her head in before coming inside. She was wearing a blue, causal dress with white heels and matching earrings, ready for a night out.
"Is that Jazz I hear?" Maddie asked as she approached the laptop.
"Yup. It's me," Jazz replied, "we were just talking about Christmas break."
"Oh, I can't wait until you get back! We hardly have time for our thoughtful conversations anymore," Maddie continued, and Jazz knew she was right. Her studies consumed her and it was hard to balance that with a social life, but she was trying her best. It had been a while since they had a conversation about what exactly was going on at the household, and as she looked from Danny to Maddie, she thought now was a good enough time as ever to talk to her mother about something that has been on her mind.
"Yeah, I actually want to talk to you about something. Alone," she stressed, causing Danny to stand up.
"I get it. I'm done anyway. I'll go downstairs to throw this out," he said as he grabbed his empty salad container and turned away. He already assumed it was about him if his presence was unwanted, and he wasn't sure how to feel or think. He decided he could always ask Jazz about it later and would hopefully get an honest answer out of her. Back in his room, Maddie took his place in his computer chair.
"Is everything okay?" She asked Jazz, causing her to nod.
"Yeah, I just wanted to ask you... how is Danny's treatment going?" Maddie sighed at the question Jazz asked frequently and sat back in the chair in a defeated manner.
"Everything we try either hasn't worked or has serious side effects Danny can't handle. I don't know how we haven't found a cure after all these years."
"Maybe you should just stop," Jazz told her, causing Maddie to look up at her and raise an eyebrow.
"Why would we do that? You know he can't have a normal life like this." Jazz only shook her head at the default answer Maddie always gave.
"You don't know that."
"The government would come after him as soon as they find out what he is. I am not risking my only son's life. We almost lost him in the accident and I can't go through something like that again."
"Shouldn't Danny be the one to decide what he wants? He's an adult, Mom. He's not a little kid anymore." Maddie put her hands together, pressing them against her mouth as if trying to conceal the cries she was fighting. Jazz sympathized with her, knowing this was an emotional topic for both of them, but Jazz had to bring it up. It wasn't hard to tell that Danny wasn't very happy with this negative and isolated life he was living, and Jazz only wanted what was best for her little brother. "I love him, too, Mom. I don't want anything to happen to him either, but concealing and depriving him of the only world he's ever known is no way for him to live. All these treatments he's doing, the side effects just make him suffer. It's been five years of this, Mom..." Maddie didn't speak for a couple of moments, not knowing what to do. She couldn't risk losing the only son she ever had, but she knew Danny couldn't live a life that was normal being isolated as well. Even though every ounce of her wanted to protect him, she cared about his happiness more. However, she didn't want to completely give up on the thought that Danny could still have a normal life again if they could just find the right concoction. She finally moved her hands from her mouth to speak, deciding to make one last ultimatum.
"Just let us try one more time to find an antidote. Danny deserves at least one more chance to be normal. Your father and I won't give it to him unless we're certain it could work. If it doesn't, I guess that's the end of it," she agreed with a heavy heart. "But don't say anything to Danny about it. I want to be the one to tell him." Even though it wasn't exactly what Jazz wanted, she was still pleased that they could actually come to an agreement. This conversation was attempted so many times and never ended the way Jazz wanted it to, but she figured the guilt on Maddie's mind about the entire situation was finally getting too much for her.
"Good. So what else is new over there?"
Downstairs, Danny entered the kitchen to throw out his garbage before he went into the living room where Sam was cleaning. They'd been getting really close these past couple of weeks since Danny had been sneaking over to her house at night. Their friendship was thriving and they had gotten to the point where they were completely comfortable with one another. Sam had just finished vacuuming the couch and pillows and turned it off to put it aside upon seeing him.
"They're gossiping about me up there," Danny said to her, crossing his arms over his chest and looking annoyed.
"Who?"
"Mom and Jazz," he clarified, causing her to chuckle at him.
"That's what family does. It's normal."
"Yeah, but I think they might be talking about my... condition," he finished, using his words carefully.
"Is that bad?"
"I just feel if they have something to say about it, I should be able to hear, too." Sam wasn't quite sure what to say at first, but when she finally thought of something comforting to say, they both heard footsteps on the stairs, so Sam continued cleaning and Danny went into the kitchen to make it look like they weren't interacting. Maddie descended with Jack right behind her, who was also dressed nicely, and he walked in front of her to hold the front door open.
"We're going now, Danny. We'll be back later on," Maddie yelled over her shoulder to him before they left. As soon as they did, Sam joined Danny in the kitchen where he was sitting at the table waiting for her.
"Done. What do you want to do?" She asked him, considering they always found things to do together on Friday nights. She expected him to suggest movies, bowling, even a night in at her basement, but what he asked was something she never assumed he would.
"Do you want to see the lab?" He proposed, thumbing over to the said door that was currently closed. She was shocked that he would let her go down there knowing Danny's parents told her specifically not to. She assumed there were foreign chemicals, dangerous weapons, and according to Tucker, it's where the accident happened with Danny.
"Is it dangerous down there?" She questioned, but he only shrugged at her in response.
"As long as you don't turn anything on," he answered, getting up from his chair to walk over to the basement door. "Oh," he started, stopping to look behind him at Sam, "don't touch anything unless I say it's okay."
"Okay, you're making me really nervous," Sam admitted truthfully, but he only smiled and shook his head.
"It's just a safety precaution. I promise you'll be okay." His confidence made her feel a little better, and he opened the door to reveal a small staircase. As soon as they reached the bottom of it, Sam was able to take a full look at what used to be a normal basement. It looked like what she imagined a professional science lab would look like, only more high-tech. There were different sorts of weapons hanging on the walls, stations complete with glass beakers and vials, but what stood out the most was a yellow and black striped, large circle staring you right in the face on the back wall.
"Cool, right?" Danny asked, drawing her attention away from the portal.
"It really is, but to me, this is all just so... foreign," she finished, pausing to think of a fitting word.
"Yeah, it's really weird if you haven't grown up with it around you your whole life. It's no wonder my best subject was always science; I was practically conditioned to be ahead of the learning curve," he told her as he crossed his arms over his chest. Seeing she was taking his cautions seriously, he decided to let her look around wherever she wanted and she walked over to a table where two metal contraptions sat and pointed at them.
"What are those?" She asked, causing him to walk up to them as well.
"Wrist rays. They're basically tiny ectoguns but you wear them on your wrists," he explained, but Sam raised an eyebrow.
"What exactly is an ectogun?"
"The only kind of gun that can hurt a ghost," he responded as if that answered her question, but she supposed that was the simple answer. He took the lead and walked over to another table, picking up something that looked like it was made of mostly metal before walking back to her, holding up something that looked like a sort of cylinder container. "Meet the Fenton Thermos. This thing actually catches ghosts," he said, handing it to her so she could examine it more.
"This works?" She asked, flipping and turning it so she could see every angle of it.
"Yeah, my parents have used it a bunch of times."
"So the ghosts stay in here... then what?" Danny only turned around and pointed to the closed portal.
"They get sent back into the Ghost Zone," he stated matter of factly as if everyone were accustomed to the paranormal he grew up with.
"What do you mean Ghost Zone?" Sam questioned, hoping he could clarify. He then motioned for her to follow him and he walked over to a panel near the portal, placing his finger down on it to access the Ghost Zone. The portal opened, revealing a brilliant green glow, but as Sam stared into the green abyss in front of her, she realized she had noticed something like it before. It was the exact color and tint that she had seen outside of Danny's door more than a few times, but what did that mean? Tucker said the accident Danny was involved in happened down here, but what could this portal have possibly done to him?
"This is a portal to the Ghost Zone," Danny started to explain, dragging her out of her thoughts. "You know how we have our world? Ghosts have their own, too. This is it," he finished, motioning with his arms.
"Have you ever been inside?" She wondered, but he shook his head and closed the portal using the finger scanner once more.
"Not yet, at least. My parents haven't either. They're more focused on weapons than anything so they can be prepared for the unexpected when they explore it." Stepping away from the portal, Sam started to walk around again with Danny following behind, giving her the freedom to see whatever she wanted but also making sure she wouldn't get harmed in any way from anything. She stopped at a table with what looked like a vacuum cleaner on it, and she looked back at Danny for an explanation. "It's called the Fenton Weasel. It sucks up ghosts and traps them inside. It's not on, want to see it?" She answered by holding out her hands and Danny gripped the pole of the vacuum to pass it to her. "Just don't point it at me," he joked, and Sam raised an eyebrow.
"Can this hurt humans, too?" She asked, and he realized he had given away another hint unknowingly.
"The only thing you have to worry about is your hair getting caught. That shit hurts," he covered, which wasn't really a cover considering it was true.
"Why would I point this thing at your head? I'm not that much of an asshole," she said with a chuckle, and he forced himself to chuckle with her. After another brief look at it, she handed it over to Danny who placed it back on the table it was on previously. "This is crazy. I wish I could make stuff like this. Everyone in your family is a genius," Sam told him, but Danny only shook his head. He nodded towards the stairs as a signal for her to follow him back upstairs which she did.
"Yeah, well, except me. I'm just average," he said with a shrug, but Sam shook her head in disagreement as they entered the kitchen, the both of them sitting down at the table.
"That doesn't make you incompetent. Everyone is a genius, just with different things. Your parents were meant to be scientists and Jazz was meant to be a psychologist. What do you think you were meant to be?" Sam asked, and for a whole different reason, that seemed to resonate with him on another topic. His powers always seemed like a burden to him, knowing he was completely different from everybody else, but what if this was supposed to happen? Maybe this was who he was supposed to be; why else would he survive the incident? Maybe this was his destiny, but other thoughts said that maybe he was thinking too hopeful. Maybe he was getting in way over his head and was only fooling himself. Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he knew he obviously couldn't give that as an answer, so he thought of the only other subject he was almost an expert on.
"Well, I know it sounds crazy, but I always wanted to be an astronaut. I just love astronomy and chemistry and learning about the engineering of spaceships and everything that goes with it. I mean, the NASA website is literally my homepage on my computer. I've read everything on the website countless times." Sam couldn't help but get lost in his words as he grew more and more excited with each word said. There was just something different about someone having a conversation with you about something they loved. You could just hear the passion behind every word and a different light in their eyes. On top of that and Danny's crystal blue irises, she thought she'd never be able to look away. After going off on one of his favorite space expeditions, Danny realized he was probably rambling and started to apologize.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to go on that long," he said with a guilty smile, but Sam only shook her head.
"Don't feel sorry about anything. I wanted you to keep going," but he waved a hand in dismissal.
"That's enough out of me for now. What about you?" He asked, and Sam really wished she had an immediate answer like Danny did, but unfortunately for her, she couldn't think of anything.
"I have no idea. I like a number of things but not enough to do it for the rest of my life. I guess I haven't found what I'm meant to be yet," she told him with a hint of sadness behind it along with a shrug, but he only smiled at her.
"You'll find something. Someone like you can do anything," he stated, making a quizzical look appear on her face.
"Someone like me?"
"Smart and ambitious. A dangerous combination, but I've always been into that." He rose from the table to go scavenging in the fridge, leaving Sam confused on his statement. What exactly was he into? Her? That just couldn't be right; she found out through experience that she only attracted rotten men, and Danny was far from that. Before she could even give any sort of retort, Danny turned around with an energy drink in hand. "So what do you want to do?" He sipped his beverage casually as if he wasn't aware of his flirtatious ways, so shaking herself out of shock, she gave a safe answer.
"Is Tucker available? The three of us haven't hung out together in a while," she suggested, not quite sure what was going on with him when he was near her all of a sudden, but all she knew was she couldn't allow herself to develop feelings for anyone, even if their feelings matched hers. It would all crumble apart in the end anyway, and with their newfound friendship, she couldn't afford to lose him. It was bad enough she already liked his looks more than she should, the last thing she needed was to fall, ignoring the fact that he was the only goodhearted guy she was ever slightly interested in. She hoped Tucker's presence would prevent Danny from any more flirtatious remarks, whether she liked them or not.
"Sure! I don't see why he wouldn't be available. Let me call him," Danny answered as he took out his cell phone, and Sam let out a sigh of relief as soon as Danny stepped out of the room. She never thought there would come a day where she was practically praying for Tucker's presence; there's a first for everything she supposed.
Not even an hour later, the trio found themselves at the mall. It had been a while since Danny had journeyed here, the last time being with Jazz. He just hoped he didn't run into anybody that would recognize him, wanting to avoid any questions. They had been there for about an hour and so far, no one had said anything to him, much to his pleasure.
"You know, the new Spellbent game is coming out soon," Tucker was saying, although he was staring down at his PDA.
"You guys like that game?" Sam questioned with a look of disapproval on her face.
"What's not to like?" Danny asked, causing her to raise an eyebrow.
"The graphics, to start," she began to say, but Tucker's scoff interrupted her.
"The gameplay is all worth it, though," he told her, causing her to roll her eyes.
"Whatever you say."
"Hey, Fenton!" A sudden voice caused all three of them to stop in their tracks; they could recognize that voice from a mile away, but it was usually hurling insults. They hesitantly turned around to face the bully that tormented all three of them at one point, and as if Dash wasn't bad enough, Kwan was by his side as well.
"What a cute little nerd squad you geeks have going on," Kwan said as they approached, a cocky smile on his face.
"You disappeared after freshman year, Fenton. What happened with that?" Dash went on, drawing the attention back on Danny, who was only one out of many victims that suffered from Dash's wrath. Danny only shrugged and tried not to roll his eyes.
"I don't know. I guess Casper just wasn't my thing," he answered vaguely, but Kwan only smirked beside Dash.
"We missed beating on you, but it's all good. Techno-Geek took your spot instead," he said as Dash snickered at his remark. All three friends were on guard considering their behavior was suspicious because, in their own strange way, they were actually being friendly. They didn't seem angry nor did they look as if they wanted to pick a fight. If anything, this was the most relaxed the former bullies had ever been around them.
"Since when do you nerds hang out with hot goth girl?" Dash spoke up again, causing Sam to cross her arms and roll her eyes.
"Is this leading somewhere?" She asked, already annoyed at their comments.
"Well, we were going to rag on you guys just a little, but we're proud to see you somehow managed to upgrade since high school. Well, as much as losers can upgrade," Kwan added before Dash chimed back in.
"I'm throwing a party next week and considering I've been feeling generous lately, it's not just former A-listers. Anyone we're cool with we've invited. But don't get your hopes up. This could be the first and last time you will ever be invited, so I'd focus on not embarrassing yourselves or me." The trio exchanged quick glances at each other before Tucker spoke up.
"Is this a trick?"
"Yeah, why are you actually being nice?" Sam questioned with an eyebrow raised.
"Oh, we're club bouncers now. It's a surprisingly healthy way for us to get out all of our misplaced aggression," Kwan informed them, causing Dash to nod in agreement.
"Good for you...?" Sam congratulated, although it came out more like a question.
"We'll send you an e-vite. And that will be the last time I ever say that." Dash told them before both he and Kwan walked away. Everyone was quiet for a minute before they turned back in the direction they were heading and that's when Sam broke the silence.
"That was super weird," she stated bluntly.
"Did Dash bully you, too?" Tucker asked, causing Sam to scoff.
"Of course he did. He threw insults my way constantly, but hot goth girl? What was that?"
"I mean, nothing in that statement isn't true. Maybe he was just complimenting you?" Danny guessed, and although his comment raised some questions for her, she just laughed sardonically.
"That doesn't sound like Dash to me."
"Neither does him inviting us to a party, which we're going to, right?" Tucker asked, changing the subject completely.
"Why would we?" Sam questioned, causing Tucker's jaw to drop.
"Are you kidding me? Danny and I would have killed to be invited by the popular kids to a party and this is our only chance!"
"Except this isn't high school anymore which means it's not going to be a high school party. Everyone will be drinking and that's when people get more stupid than they already are."
"Come on, Sam. This is our only chance to experience that. Please?" He begged, placing his hands together in a pleading motion. Sam only sighed and looked over at Danny for his opinion, but he simply shrugged.
"If Tucker really wants to go, we can go for a little bit then dip. I just have to wait for my parents to go to sleep so I can sneak out." Sam resisted the urge to roll her eyes, never being a fan of parties, especially when she couldn't stand half the people in attendance, but she didn't want to take this chance away from Tucker. He seemed to be the only one truly excited about it and this was his only chance to be able to go.
"Alright. You guys are lucky you're my best friends," she agreed reluctantly, and Tucker pumped a fist in the air.
"Yes! Finally!" He shouted, causing Sam to shake her head at him.
"What are you so worried about?" Danny inquired, getting her attention.
"Nothing. I just don't like spending time with people that used to mistreat me for their own amusement."
"Don't worry. I won't let anyone disrespect you. I'll protect you," he promised, trying to be noble but Sam only laughed at his response.
"That's nice, but I don't need someone to protect me," she told him with a chuckle, and he only gave her a witty smile.
"That's what I like the most about you." The comment caught her off guard for a moment, like she was surprised he would say something like that to her with Tucker within earshot. She decided to try to change the mood and played it off as a joke.
"Why, because you don't have to spend time protecting me? Lazy much?" She teased with a small smile, nudging Danny in the side.
"Oh, please. Whether you want me to or not, I'm always going to protect you." His words and the genuine smile on his face was enough to leave her in silence for a few moments, not able to look away from him until Tucker interrupted.
"Are you two done? God, you're like a pair of newlyweds," he complained, causing Sam to scoff.
"Watch what you say, Foley, or else I'm not going to that party."
"So? We could just go without you."
"Right, then who would protect you guys?" She asked them with an eyebrow raised and a smirk on her face. She walked ahead of them, and Tucker noticed the look on Danny's face as his stare lingered on her before they started to walk after her. There was something about the twinkle in Danny's eyes that Tucker couldn't help but notice. It was almost as if he could see the attraction he had towards Sam with just one look. Rather than bring it up in public, he decided to save it for a different time and not spoil their time together.
By the time they had finished their walkthrough of the mall, all the stores were just closing up. They decided to head back to Danny's so Sam could drop them off before she left them for the night. She only went in with them to make sure she had everything before she left, but Danny wasn't very satisfied with her departure.
"You're going to leave now? It's not even ten yet," he complained, following her to the door while Tucker stayed behind in the kitchen on his PDA, but looked up occasionally at the couple.
"I'm just not risking getting caught," she explained simply with an apologetic smile.
"How about a half-hour more?"
"How about a no?" She countered with a chuckle, but Danny only crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a smug look.
"Good luck getting home without your keys," he said, and she only smirked at his remark.
"I have them right-" she stopped mid-sentence when she felt the front pocket of her jeans where she had stuffed her keys in previously upon exiting her car, realizing it was empty. She looked down to make sure they hadn't fallen out, but when she looked back up, Danny was holding them in front of her with a devious grin.
"How did you...? Give me those!" She tried to reach out for them but Danny only held them behind his back.
"What if I don't want you to go?" He asked, pouting at her for emphasis. Sam only patted his cheek roughly, causing him to wince a little bit.
"Poor baby. Now give me back my keys."
"Can I come over tomorrow night after my parents go to sleep?" He asked, causing her to scoff and give him an amused smile.
"If you want to hangout you could just ask. You don't have to hold my keys hostage."
"Is that a yes?"
"That's exactly what that is. Keys, please," she requested, holding her hand out.
"Cool. I'll see you tomorrow," he told her as he dropped the keys into the palm of her hand, satisfied. She smiled at him before she left and Danny shut the door behind her.
"Dude, do you like her?" Tucker suddenly asked from the kitchen, drawing the conclusion after observing his behavior. He knew Danny tended to give more attention than he should towards girls that he liked, and Sam definitely wasn't an exception. The sudden question made Danny's eyebrows fur together as if he had forgotten Tucker was still there. He was actually speechless for a moment, as if unsure how to respond, but he finally made a sound similar to a scoff and shook his head before he started to head into the kitchen.
"We're friends. Best friends, just like she said earlier," he gave as an answer, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the kitchen counter.
"Duh, but do you want to be more than that? Give me details!"
"There are no details! She's just a great person. She's cool and funny... and smart, fearless, beautiful..." There was a sudden sadness in his eyes as he trailed off, and staring down at his feet seemed like the best attempt to hide it. "But we're just friends. That's all," he finished as he looked up, forcing a smile that Tucker knew was fake.
"You haven't made any moves?" He assumed, causing Danny to shake his head.
"How could I? Once she finds out I'm an abomination there's no way she'll date me and second of all, she doesn't want a relationship. Trust is definitely an issue when it comes to her dating." Tucker only shook his head at him in disagreement.
"First off, you're not an abomination. Second of all, that could all change. Sam's not the same kid she was in high school and she's in a pretty good place right now. If you don't shoot your shot, you're gonna regret it," he said, and Danny let out a sigh as he slid his hands into his pockets.
"Why are you asking me this anyway?" Tucker shrugged casually but gave him a smile.
"All I was gonna say was, with everything Sam has told me... you could have a pretty decent shot." Danny could only sit there and process what he had said, trying to keep a smile off of his face even if the news did excite him. "But you didn't hear that from me," Tucker finished as he started to walk away to leave.
"Hear what?" Danny asked, causing Tucker to turn back to him and shrug.
"Don't remember," he said, but they exchanged knowing grins. "I'll see you later."
"Later man." The smile he had stayed on his face until a concerning thought entered his mind, kicking his curiosity into overdrive. "Tucker! Wait!" He called after him as he ran towards the door, catching Tucker just as he turned the car on.
"What?" Tucker asked, rolling the window down to hear him.
"What did she say, though?" Danny asked, leaning on the door and poking his head in. Tucker only shrugged and shifted gears to reverse out of the driveway.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Tucker responded, trying to hide the amused smile on his face as he slowly backed his car up to leave. Danny only huffed in frustration and shouted after him.
"Come on! Don't do me like that!" But he could see Tucker laughing as he pulled away from the house, leaving it up to Danny's imagination of what they could have possibly talked about together.
Can you believe this chapter is over 5,000 words O.o I'm so sorry for the wait, as always, but I'm hoping the next time I update will either be before or on Halloween :D
Also, I just wanted to say that I see every review, follow, and favorite (not in a creepy way ^^') and appreciate all of it sooooo much. If you're a new reader and enjoy what you're reading, feel free to leave a review! :)
Chloee0x0: Me too! And even more of it in this chapter! You're welcome XD
Invader Johnny: Ah, yes. This is very true. Probably a good reason why they get along so well
Guest: Right? Where do you think Sam learned it from? lol
Mallory: The only way to bond lol
MidnightWriter44678: Thanks so much! I'm so very grateful for your interest in this story :)
argentsarmor: Thank you! :D
Fan12: Probably not long. She's a smart cookie...
alex-in-w0nderland: Thank you so much! :))
